Looking for advice

[Hat-Trick]

We travel between MI & FL spring and fall. Because we have a large dog and 2 cats, motels are out of the question.

2 years ago we bought a new Thor 33SW Super C. My wife promised we could spend a week+ each way plus other trips. That just hasn't happened. My bride just wants to get back & forth as quickly as possible. I don't need a $100K++++ motor home for that.

Best solution I can come up with is a 2500 Pick up with a pop up truck camper. A toilet/holding tank set up is a must. The camper will probably be used no moe than 14 nights a year so I'm not looking to sped a fortune. I already did that.

Would sure appreciate some input.

Thanks!

[palmwhit]

Option #1: Get a divorce! $$$$$
Option #2: Buy her a airline ticket and send her ahead,(actually Greyhound would be more fitting!) while you take a leisurely trip with the animals and enjoy the scenery and life!
Not P.C. but your wife needs to get a grip on her station in life!
For crying out loud, it's not like she's sleeping in a freaking station wagon! How many people would be delighted to live in a $100K RV as opposed to the **** hole houses they live in? She needs to count her blessings and be thankful for the life she has!
When we took our 1st long trip I told my wife we'd get a hotel room every 3rd-4th night. After 2 weeks of travel I asked if she wanted to get a hotel since she hadn't brought it up. The answer was, "why?, I know who slept in this bed last night and the week before!" She went on to say, "why do I want to slept stuff into a hotel for one night when we're comfortable to begin with?" How can I argue with that?
Obviously your wife is "affected"! Give her a couple of other in budget choices and let her pick her "pleasure"!
Tent camping or staying in Michigan for the winter should be a couple of the options!
As a side note: Me and, "what's her name" have been together for a bit over 40 years, through thick and thin! God bless her!

[monkey44]

Off the subject, sorta, but AAA has a booklet that shows all motels that allow dogs / pets ...

When we traveled with our dog, and stayed in a motel for some reason, we just picked one out of that book. There are plenty of them to choose, we always found one when we needed it.

[zcookiemonstar]

Maybe take some time to find places you BOTH want to see in between and plan your trips around that instead of just stopping wherever.

[Photomike]

Old Days wrote:
I would go and look at a lot of TCs. Have the wife climb up in the bunk to make sure she doesn't have any problems. Going from a $100000.00 class C to a TC will be a real shock. Good Luck.

X10000000000

A TCer for many is NOT a ideal solution. Small, lots of steps, SMALL 🙂

My wife promised me that she would camp in the TCer, she does but not happily.

As far as a pop up over a hard sided, I went with a light hard sided as I love being able to stop any place any time and being able to go in the back, do what I want to, then hit the road without bending over or having to raise the top.

On edit: reading your post again that you had a Class B before the C I honestly don't think your wife would be happy with any RV. Think you may be better off to keep what you have now, enjoy it and realize that you have an expensive and large car 🙂

[Old_Days]

I would go and look at a lot of TCs. Have the wife climb up in the bunk to make sure she doesn't have any problems. Going from a $100000.00 class C to a TC will be a real shock. Good Luck.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

If the sum total of your camping is a few nights at a Flying J - I'd just buy a small, used "C". But you're probably going to get clobbered on depreciation on the sale of your big C. Since you already have a NICE one, maybe you should stay in a few nice parks, and see if your wife might enjoy the RV experience??

Personally, I would NOT want to stay in a Flying J in my pop-up truck camper. I'd be smelling diesel exhaust all night and hearing all too clearly the general commotion that goes on in a truck stop. And I wouldn't have a genny.... the beauty of a TC is the ability to go where other RVs can't go.

[Geewizard]

I can pop up my pop-up TC in less than 5 minutes. And I can use the toilet, cook and eat a meal, and access everything except the bed without popping it up. It all depends on the brand and how it's built.
If you're 6'4", it isn't gonna work for you. 😉

PM me if you want particulars on my experience and setup.

[dave17352]

Okay then sell your fancy rig and buy a old class C. For what you want to do, I think a class C is perfect. A truck and a truck camper is a lot of work for a couple 2-3 day travel trips. Or just quit complaining and drive your fancy rig!

[Vinsil]

Bedlam wrote:
Truck campers are the most expensive RV per square foot. You may be better off with an inexpensive travel trailer and Class 2a truck (F150/1500).

This...X100.

Buy a NICE 20 ft TT and a 1/2 ton and have a nice combo....cheap is you go used on both rigs.

[Hat-Trick]

The whole idea here is just to have something to sleep in during a 2 - 3 day drive. A toilet is a must. Done the class B bit.

Just trying to get from point A to point B. Mostly overnighting at Flying J. Little or no camping.

If the bride could live with the critters flying as luggage, air travel would be a no-brainer. She'd never go for that.

BTW is towing a car with a rig like this out of the question? We tow a Cherokee behind the Super C now.

[azrving]

How about sticking with the original plan? Many vehicles have dashboards large enough to hold a bumper sticker like this.

[KD4UPL]

A pop-up is not what you want if you're going to stop along the way for meals, bathroom breaks, etc. Putting the top up and down is kind of a pain in good weather; if it's raining or really windy it's even worse.
I would look for an 8' hardside camper if you go the TC route at all. Either way, I highly recommend a 3500 truck over a 2500. Trucks run out of payload quickly and there really is no downside to the heavier duty truck.
2 adults and 3 pets in any truck camper is going to be tight.

[dave17352]

Grit dog wrote:

NEOK wrote:

Houston Remodeler wrote:
What if there was a (well timed and completely accidental) mechanical breakdown along the way? Such an unfortunate mishap could require an overnight stay while you wait for parts.

Why would a breakdown in a truck with a truck camper be any different than a breakdown in a motorhome? Either way you may have to look for alternate accommodations until you can get the repairs completed.

Went straight over your head NEO!!!

Like said above, TCs are expensive for what they are, however for your minimal use even though I couldn't imagine 3 animals inthe camper with us while camping....
It could be good. You would have a big pickup for a DD vehicle, that will get part of your man card back and your balls out of the wife's purse, lol.
You can buy a nice older unit for like $5-7k no problem. Easy to store compare to the super C or a trailer.
You don't have to tow anything while the ole lady is horse whipping your @ss all the way to FL!

True story on the 5 to 7 k. I bought my lance for 5 grand and it was in very very good condition. Plenty of room too.

But if your wife isn't into camping and you don't want to camp by yourself or with fishing buddies etc, I would suggest buying airline tickets. You will save a fortune. If you wife won't camp in your super c she probably would not tolerate a truck camper anyway! You can fly your pets also.

fly with your pets american airlines

[NEOK]

BillL1356 wrote:
Buy a 1 ton SRW, GM, Ford, or Ram. Pick your poison you really can't go wrong. For the pop up camper check out Northstar, Outfitter and Hallmark. My preference would be Northstar as they are well made and their customer service is legendary. Buy slightly used to keep costs down. Good luck

A one ton srw isn't necessary for all truck campers. Pick the truck camper you want first then buy a truck to match the weight of the camper. If you are going to buy the truck first a one ton srw certainly opens up some possibilities for a camper over a 2500.